Tyre Tracks
by ofalexandra
Summary: AU. One-shot. Asphalt, Roses and Flashing Scoreboards. SasuSaku fluff!


A/N: I don't own Naruto. Unfortunately. But I do own this plot! And I don't really know much about racing or cars, so forgive me if there are any obvious mistakes.

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She grew up in a garage, surrounded by carburetors and steering wheels. Her crib was the leather lining of a car seat, her lullabies the clanking of spanners against metal.

At age three, Haruno Sakura first sees a Formula One race. She watches, transfixed, abnormally quiet for a girl her age. Her parents don't understand why she starts crying when they switch the television channel.

At age five, she tries out her first go-kart, a miniature version of a racing car, built by her father once he realized she was persistent in her love of racing. She beats people thrice her age at the public track.

At age ten, it's the first time she sees a F1 race in person. She is enchanted by the cheers of the crowd, by the flashing scoreboards, and of the winning driver. She goes to sleep that night dreaming of Hatake Kakashi.

At age thirteen, she sits in her first racing car, constructed by Haruno Enterprise, a gift from her parents. She races to the track and has never felt so _free_ in her life.

At age fifteen, she wakes her best friend, Yamanaka Ino, up at five in the morning so that they can queue for an autograph session with Kaka-_kun_. As she goes up to the stage for her autograph, she tells him, "Race with me." She is even more surprised when he agrees. He beats her by a whole five seconds, but when they exit their cars he laughs, pats her on the head and said that it was the best race of his life. His agent calls her a week later.

At age sixteen, she is the rising star of the track. They call her _Flash_, too fast to see and too fast to catch. She hates that name. She wants people to call her _Haruno Sakura_. She is to race in the Grand Prix the next day, but she cannot sleep. Kakashi, no longer the object of her enamored affections, tells her she will be up against the best in all the Lands, but none of the names he rattles off his list makes her more uncomfortable than _Uchiha Sasuke_. They say he is the best the racing world has ever seen, like the Devil himself behind the wheel. He has won the Grand Prix for the last two years, and critics say there is no reason why he shouldn't claim his third.

She heads to the contestant's private track. As she nears the entrance, she hears the distinct purr of an F1 car. Rounding the corner to face the track, she see Uchiha Sasuke's car tearing up the asphalt as he races past sharp contours and tricky slides. She has never seen anything so perfect. She turns to leave, but she hears an engine being killed behind her. She glances back, and her gaze clashes with his obsidian ones. She hurries back to the contestant quarters and never speaks of it to anyone.

At the Grand Prix the next day, Sasuke and her are in the lead. They round their last lap, and the crowd is tense with anticipation. The finish line is in sight, and their cars eat up the track as they approach it. In times like this, the driver has to focus everything he or she has on the road. But something compels her to flick her gaze to him, just a quick peek. She does, and she sees him smirking back at her. She gasps, and he pulls forward by _that much_ and pulls in ahead of her. Her eyes never meet his when they are lifted to the trophy stand.

Later, in the lift up on their way back to their rooms, there is only the both of them. She is afraid to breathe, scared to break this sense of peace. So she is surprised when he speaks first.

"Your drive well, Haruno-san."

She opens her mouth to thank him, but sputters out undecipherable words as the lift doors open.

At age seventeen, she gets an unexpected call on her cell phone. It is Sasuke-san, and he wants her to race with him. She agrees, and they meet of the track, donning their mirrored helmets and speeding off in clouds of dust. This time, she beats him by half a second, and she punches her fist in the air in triumph. She misses _that_ look in Sasuke's eyes, and is startled when he kisses her. It doesn't take long for her to kiss him back. From the stands, Kakashi grins, his visible eye crinkling.

At age eighteen, she gets married. Right after the wedding, he asks her to race him again. She agrees. When he leads her down to the track, there are mountains of roses stacked in her car. She cries and cries, telling him what how incredibly stupid, crazy and _sweet_ he is.

His only reply is a curt word.

_Annoying_.

She smiles.

Her tears drip onto the asphalt, and the air smells beautifully of the roses he gave her, and above them, the flashing scoreboard lights up.

He kisses her.

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**END. review? :D**


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